GO/DON’T GO REVIEW–A Contemporary LAST MAN ON EARTH with Amazing Performance by Alex Knapp
Paul Grammatico
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Starring Alex Knapp, Olivia Luccardi, Nore Davis
Written by Alex Knapp
Directed by Alex Knapp
With the ongoing effects of the virus and the hope that it will subside this year, many people have displayed symptoms of isolation and loneliness. Even though many of us have family, friends, and pets to get through these trying times, I can’t imagine being in an empty house with nothing to care for or to talk to.
There are a mass of survivalist film where a protagonist is the last person on earth. The first of these that I could remember was The Last Man on Earth (1964) which was groundbreaking. Based on the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend, I revisited this film recently and, despite it being dated, the story holds up well. Followed up with Charlton Heston’s The Omega Man and Will Smith’s novel titled endeavor, some of these adaptations are better than others.
Go/Don’t Go, a dramatic thriller by A+M Creative and distributed by Gravitas Ventures, is one of these survivalist/last-man-in-the-world films that work in similar ways to past films.
Adam (Alex Knapp, who also wrote and directed this film) a survivor of a plague that has ravaged the town he resides in, goes about a daily routine of getting up, eating, shopping, fixing cars, playing baseball, checking his mail, watching movies, taking a shower, and going to bed all within the confines of his own internal solidarity. All the while, we realize that he is the last person alive. As he struggles to maintain a routine along with his sanity, the specter of his girlfriend K (Olivia Luccardi) along with his past begins to engulf his mind.
Mr. Knapp does an expert job of helming this film. Teamed up with Cinematographer Frank Turiano and Composers Evan Joseph, Josh Rawson, and Luke Schwartz, Mr. Knapp creates a beautifully shot film with tremendous atmosphere as the film juxtaposes the desolate neglected town and the gritty textures that form with the lack of humanity with the beauty of unspoiled nature that occurs with the town’s vacancies. The utilization of the jump cuts in the film makes for a jarring but enjoyable vision.
While I adore the lyrical feel of the story, I find that the story is a bit too similar to The Last Man on Earth. The routines of Adam are very similar to Dr. Robert Morgan although they are slightly more updated. The pronounces differences between these films are that Mr. Knapp eschews the voiceover of The Last Man on Earth along with the vampires that threaten the protagonist in the 1964 film. I could consider the choices in Go/Don’t Go being an homage to the earlier product and the lack of knowledge of a B-Movie from the 1960s can be forgiven. While I enjoy the flashbacks and Adam’s mind playing tricks with him, I wish that there was a bit more tension associated with the slow burn of the story. An external threat might have worked well in conjunction with the haunts inside his mind.
Mr. Knapp does an amazing job with his portrayal of the isolated and alone Adam. Playing a singular character for most of the film is a challenging endeavor but Mr. Knapp does it with professional aplomb. Olivia Luccardi is charming and spooky as Adam’s nostalgic girlfriend K.
Despite wanting more from the story, the film, with its wonderful imagery, soundtrack, and strong performances, provides a landscape of loneliness. This film could be hard to watch for some in the arena of current events that we now reside in, but if you can handle a slow and, at times, moving interactions of a person’s past, then press play.
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GO/DON'T GO
Summary
Despite wanting more from the story, the film, with its wonderful imagery, soundtrack, and strong performances, provides a landscape of loneliness.
